“Todos los everybody esta Irisho en el dia de Sainto Patricko!”
Such an utterance is hell on the ears of a Spanish speaker. However, it belongs to one person: Miguel Bloombito. The Mayor Michael Bloomberg parody Twitter account, @elbloombito, gained a strong following during New York’s Hurricane Irene. Since, the popular Twitter handle has continued to make almost 30,000 followers laugh everyday.
“I started the account in an attempt to mimic the mayor’s awful Spanish-speaking skills,” says Rachel Figueroa-Levin, the self-described “Newo Yorko” behind the curtain. “Then, it just took off.” She opened the account in August 2011 and, by the end of the year, The Village Voice acknowledged @elbloombito with a Web Award for Best Parody Twitter Handle.
But, is the parody offensive? It does not come without a fair amount of controversy. According to Rachel, ninety-percent of the public’s reception has been positive; however, there are a fair amount of critics. It is worth noting that Mayor Bloomberg congratulated @elbloombito for receiving The Village Voice award. “Felicidades, @ElBloombito!” he tweeted. She was grateful that the mayor responded positively and with stride.
@elbloombito reflects on many issues effecting New York from Saint Patrick’s to the Super Bowl. But, Rachel claims the most popular tweets have been dialogs between @elbloombito and @occupywallstreetnyc. Miguel Bloombito responded to @occupywallstreetnyc with fake, comical criticism.
We look forward to @elbloombito’s statements in the future especially as Miguel’s mayoral comes to an end.